Video Game Cover Bands
If you didn’t see the video I just posted, here’s a link:
It’s a 45 minute playthrough of Mega Man 2 on stage at MAG Fest with the Bit Brigade playing the soundtrack live accompanying the gameplay. It’s amazing. It’s the best thing I’ve seen so far in 2012.
I just discovered the Bit Brigade today through that video. I kind of dig them. My main exposure to video game cover bands have been The Minibosses, which I love with a passion. The Minibosses cover video game soundtracks but relatively loosely. They groove on the original songs and make them their own. Consequently their best pieces are their live recordings. In the studio they tend to play much more closely to the original track. I don’t like that kind of video game cover as if you’re simply playing the original song but on instruments, what’s the point? That was my problem with The Advantage. They’re another video game cover band I discovered way back when but very, very technical. They play essentially the exact original song but on instruments. Bit Brigade is somewhere in between The Advantage and The Minibosses, and I can tolerate their closeness to the original music.
Two other bands I want to mention: Neskvartetten does jazzy video game covers, mainly of Nintendo songs. I love their interpretations. If you get a chance, check out their “Sahasralah’s Homecoming” cover. I also found a band called Year 200X on Spotify that covers video game songs with more of a metal style. Interesting and I’ll be listening to them more.
If you have any suggestions for video game cover bands, I’d love to hear them!
